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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!…now a new year ahead of us!

Members, We are excited to say that we are continuing to grow. To date we have 280+ members are newsletter members for the DC chapter, and about 15% are working on projects like Umueze Village Primary School, Bethania Kids, Rwanda Arts Vocational Institute, NCCF Distribution Center and Shalom House. For the upcoming year, we are looking to increase our member participation in events and projects. We also would like to become more involved locally as much as we can. Check out the news and project updates below and thank you for your involvement and hard work! Best, From the AfHdc Team		DONATE Now you can donate to our efforts online. Donations will be used to cover some organizational expenses and initial spending for fundraising events. You can direct your donations to the organization or specifically to a project. To donate, please go to the following link: www.afh-dc.org/donate CHAPTER COMMENTS & FUTURE PROJECTS We are always exploring how we can operate better for our members, projects and surrounding communities. There may be some activities or projects you would like to see the chapter become involve in. Send an email and we can make it happen! director@afh-dc.org. OPPORTUNITIES We are still looking for individuals who can help out in the following areas: Web Designer Non-profit experience NEW FACEBOOK PAGE We have created a Facebook page to spread the word via other network circles. Sign up as a fan of the page to get some updates. Much too much on there now but there will be posts over time. >>Facebook group page OTHER OPPORTUNITIES Architecture in the Schools The spring semester of Architecture in the Schools has a few more openings for volunteers for the spring semester. Instructors are needed for a second grade class at Martin Luther King Jr. School. Please contact Beth Judy at the Foundation at bjudy@wafonline.org to get more details or sign up for this very rewarding program. Usually it fills up quick so act quickly if you are interested. Shadow an Architect program AIA National is hosting a Shadow an Architect program for 20 students from the Phelps Architecture, Construction, and Engineering High School in DC. They are looking for registered architects and emerging professionals in the DC Metro area who would like to volunteer as mentors for a day. The event will take place on Thursday, February 5, 8:00 am – 2:00 pm. Anyone interested in participating should email Yvette at ymorris@aia.org by Wednesday, January 7.
	NEWS
	Capitol Pecha Kucha Night (Wednesday Jan 6…TOMORROW) http://www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/washington-dc RSVP @ rsvp@pecha-kucha.org (not sure if it’s necessary to RSVP) An event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each before the next presenter is up.
	Umueze Village “Chance for Change” Fundraiser (Fri, Jan 23, 10PM) Sento Senso will be hosted this fundraising for the Umueze Village project will raising money for construction. So come over have some drinks and bring friends! Invitations will follow soon!
	Kick Off Kick Ass Happy Hour (tentatively in February) A fundraiser happy hour hang out, talk about the organization, our projects or anything that comes to mind. Have some drinks and light appetizers, kick back and enjoy yourself. More details to follow…
	2009 Design Challenge Behind the scenes, AfH HQ is working on another Design Challenge for 2009. The challenge will be to design a portable sustainable classroom to respond to various site conditions. We’ll keep you posted on updates and announcements.
	PROJECT UPDATES
	Rwanda Arts Vocation Institute Mbyo, Rwanda www.afh-dc.org/ravi Four members of our chapter returned back from their trip to Rwanda for the project. The purpose of the trip was to do some site investigations, interact with the local community and meet with local architects and consultants to ensure and success of the project. The team has been continuously meeting to come up with a master plan in the near future.
	Umueze Village Primary School Umueze, Nigeria www.afh-dc.org/umueze The project is nearly finished with their design documents and will be tentatively looking to construct in June 2009. Fundraising efforts have begun to get organized and the team will be looking to meet with architects and design consultants to implement the sustainable aspects of the site they’ve designed for.
	Bethania Kids Center Narendrapuram, India www.afh-dc.org/bethania The team has been working hard in getting their design documents finalized for Phase 1. The construction is planned to start in mid 2009 depending on fundraising and travel accommodations.
	NCCF Distribution Center and Shalom House Washington DC Metro Area http://www.afh-dc.org/nccf http://www.afh-dc.org/shalom Design packages have been sent on these projects and now waiting to see how fundraising efforts will continue through 2009.

Thank you for your participation with us and we wish you…HAPPY NEW YEAR!